The Hour of the Lynx/I Lossens Time (2013), crime drama film review

Danish poster artwork for the film The Hour of the Lynx/ I Lossens Time

Probing Perceptions by Linh

The Hour of the Lynx/I Lossens Time is a Danish film adaptation of Per Olov Enquist’s stage play of the same name about two women who join forces to fight the evil overtaking a young man’s mind and destroying his soul. The title is derived from a legend of the mystical twenty-fifth hour of the day, which belongs to the mysterious lynx. This title is apt as it explores and challenges time and space beyond human perception in relation to memory and mental health, which are all linked in this film adaptation.

The film opens with a teenager named Drengen (Frederik Christian Johansen) who is seen walking around a rural village while rambling on incoherently. He arrives at a cottage where he brutally slaughters an elderly couple before attempting to set himself on fire. The film then jumps to Drengen at a high security psychiatric hospital where he has attempted suicide as “instructed by God”. A psychiatrist named Lisbeth (Signe Egholm Olsen) who helps inmates by assigning them with pets is charged with assisting Drengen and involves him in her project by giving him a cat. However, she ends up enlisting the help of Helen (Sofie Gråbøl) a female priest after a series of incidents at the hospital that threatened to shut down her project. The two women work together to delve deeper into the dark recesses of Drengen’s mind and uncovers something more shocking than they expect with life-changing consequences.

The lead cast are stellar in their performances and Johansen as the troubled Drengen is particularly mesmerising. This film is compelling and weaves together conflicting themes of science and religion, faith and love, mental and spiritual health with clever editing and narrative structure. The film has multiple perspectives and is initially narrated by the female priest Helen but the audience is invited into the minds of other characters. Another interesting aspect of this film is the use of time and memory as a story-telling device such as the flashbacks from Drengen’s childhood. The film's subject matter may be a bit dark but is solid material when exploring such profound themes.

Director: Søren Kragh-Jacobsen

Writers: Søren Kragh-Jacobsen (screenplay), Tobias Lindholm (screenplay), Jonas T. Bengtsson (screenplay), Per Olov Enquist (stage play)

Cast: Sofie Gråbøl, Signe Egholm Olsen, Frederik Christian Johansen, Lia Boysen, Søren Malling, Jens Jørn Spottag, Susan Olsen, Börje Ahlstedt, Henrik Birch, Julie Carlsen, Maria Rossing, Rasmus Elton, Pelle Falk Krusbæk, Nis Bank-Mikkelsen

Producers: Bo Ehrhardt, Per-Erik Svensson, Anna Croneman, Lars Bredo Rahbek, Anna Björk, Kristina Kornum, Mikkel Jersin

Cinematographer: Lasse Frank Johannessen

Music Composer: Tobia Hylander, Flemming Nordkrog

Film Editor: Peter Brandt

Production: Jette Lehmann (production designer), Christina Kallan (set decorator)

Costume Designers: Margrethe Rasmussen, Rikke Tvilum, Lena Winther

Languages: Danish and Swedish with English subtitles

Running Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes